


Blut und Ehre

by PrincessTurk



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe, Blood, Character Death, Concentration Camps, Death, Historical, M/M, Murder, Romance, Starvation, Suspense, Torture, Triggers, World War II
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-08-10 04:15:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20129191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessTurk/pseuds/PrincessTurk
Summary: "Blood and Honor"- AU based on Nazi Germany during World War II. Full explanations & warnings inside. Yaoi; historical fiction. Cloud is thrown into one of Shinra's work camps during the height of the President's reign. Reno, a young Shinra camp guard, remembers Cloud from years before, and breaks his Shinra oath to help Cloud. Aerith, Vincent, and others are vital to this story.





	1. Der Meister

**Author's Note:**

> Before you begin reading, I want to add a few notes for you to keep in mind. This AU fic will take you back to the long-gone days of World War II set in Nazi Germany. Under Adolf Hitler's reign, millions of people suffered and were put to death because of his views. Using Midgar as a fictional Germany, and President Shinra as a fictional Hitler, it is my hope that this fic shows both sides of the fence, where _"blood and honor"_ will stand for more than just an old Hitler Youth slogan. There _were_ good soldiers. In this fic, you'll meet Shinra "special force" soldiers out for _blood_ \- a fictional nod to Hitler's SS men - and you'll meet regular soldiers in the war simply because they love their country. On the flip side, you'll meet a few special people who use their _honor_ to help save many lives when all is said and done.
> 
> I had this idea over nine years ago, and I feel it's finally time to tell the story. Over twenty years of personal research and personal experience went into writing this fic, but keep in mind that historically i'll have to change a few things to fit in with the flow of the fictional world and characters.
> 
> I am Jewish, by the way. This is a story from the heart, and i'm taking a lot of time writing each chapter. If you're easily offended, please move on. There will be violence, foul language, deaths, all of it. You name it, it will probably be in here. I understand this fic will not be everyone's cup of tea, and it will be quite different from what I usually write. I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.
> 
> \-------  
_"Verkünden wir den jüngsten tag; Es wird kein erbarmen geben. Lauft! Lauft um euer leben! / Diese tage eure letzten sind. Wie stäbchen wird es euch zerbrechen."_
> 
> ['We announce the judgement day; There will be no mercy. Run! Run for your lives! / These days will be your last. It will break you apart like little sticks.']  
\- Rammstein, 'Der Meister' [The Master]  
\-------
> 
> *Published on FFnet on July 18, 2014.

The hour was becoming late and the street was as empty as the houses on the next block over - they had had been liquidated the day before. Not a soul was left in sight on this street that the blond walked. His pair of old, worn-down shoes shuffled along. The sound cut through the silence like a knife at the butcher's shop. It was cold; almost _too_ cold. The sky was dark and the stars were bright, which was quite normal for this time of year in Midgar.

Cloud ducked in and out of the shadows, hoping to reach home before he was caught. He was not supposed to be out after curfew, but he had been held back at a friend's house. The black market was always open at Tifa's house, where she lived with twelve other people. He had traded a stolen sweater full of holes for two small potatoes. It wouldn't be much to go on, but he figured he could make them last for two days if he rationed them properly.

As he shuffled along in his raggedy shoes, he accidentally kicked a rock. The sound carried through the stillness, and he froze.

Silence.

Hastily, he urged himself on through the dark, cursing to himself. He thought about Tifa and her housemates, huddled together as a group at night, three small blankets to warm all thirteen people in her home. He shook his head. Tifa would be shot if the Shinra police caught wind of her black market business.

_Business_. He scoffed to himself. He used to have a business before Shinra took it away. _Fucking Shinra_. In his mind, he saw himself working in his old tailor shop, mending suits all day for the good people of Midgar.

_Hardly anyone is left that is good._

"Halt!" a voice called out in the dark to him. He heard boots clomping toward him, and he stopped in his tracks. As he stood at attention for the Shinra soldier, he quickly removed his hat. He tried to hide the shaking of his hands. He should be used to this by now, after years of living this way.

"What are you doing out past curfew, you stinking swine?" the soldier shouted. He pointed his rifle at Cloud, his finger on the trigger.

"S-Sir, I am trying to get home…" Cloud began, but stopped when the soldier shifted his rifle to his shoulder, letting it hang on the strap. The soldier reached out and snatched Cloud's hat from him and waved it above the blond's head.

"You can try to get it back, pig. Go ahead, try!" the soldier crowed. The black Shinra symbol stood out against the red armband that it was on, and Cloud glared at it. He shifted his eyes to the soldier's face, not daring to try to get his hat back. He had seen this trick played once, and the man had received a severe beating in front of everyone.

"N-no sir, you may have my hat," Cloud stammered. He looked down at his feet, the shaking spreading from his hands to his toes. He felt the warmth of piss begin to trickle down his leg, and before he could stop it, it began to stream out. Suddenly he was standing in a puddle, his shoes soaked as he looked on in shame.

"_Mother fucker_," the soldier scowled, dropping Cloud's hat to the ground. "You _dare_ to dirty Shinra's streets with your piss!"

"I-I'm sorry, sir," Cloud mumbled.

First came the shove. He felt the back of his head hit the ground; he saw stars momentarily. Second came the kicks to his groin, to his kidneys. The third thing was darkness, and the sound of shouting Shinra soldiers and boots clomping towards him in a hurry.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He came to on a train.

He heard the _clack-clack-clacking_ of the train rolling down the tracks, felt every nudge of the people in the cattle car with him.

_Cattle car? People? A train?_

He sat up slowly, his entire body aching from the beating he had received. He reeked of his own piss and smelled feces across the cattle car. He gagged and held a hand over his face. _Gaia, what is this?_

"You're finally awake," he heard a soft voice say to him. He looked toward the direction of the voice, blinking against the darkness of the car. A woman about his age, petite with long brown hair in a single braid hanging down her back, looked on at him with kindness and worry.

"Where are we?" Cloud asked the woman, trying to block out the smell of humans crunched together in such a small place. He glanced around in the darkness, steadily surveying the faces of the wretched. These were the faces of his brothers, his sisters. Not related in any way, but by Gaia, they were all humans trapped in a world gone mad and being tortured on command by a ruthless ruler, President Shinra.

President Shinra's group of elite soldiers served as the special forces who used their power for controlling the population of Midgar. Among these tortured souls, such as Cloud and Tifa, who had lived in the slums, were being secretly liquidated on a daily basis. Most of them disappeared and were never heard from again. There had been a rumor that President Shinra had given his cronies the order to liquidate everyone and force them into work or death camps, where most people were killed on the spot. The so-called "lucky ones" were forced to work for ersatz coffee and bits of potato skins floating in rancid soup. They were all just rumors, right?

He remembered the day that President Shinra came to power, and eventually the day came where terror reigned in the slums. Shinra's special forces had marched through the slums in a show of power, their boots echoing off of the walls of homes and businesses that lined the street. Cloud had seen his fair share of people being beaten and shot in the streets. Infants with their heads bashed against lamp posts. Crying, screaming mothers collapsing in fits and being shot; their dead infants thrown on top of them. Left in the street to rot.

_Oh, the stench._

Cloud leaned over and dry-heaved onto the floor of the cattle car. Nothing came up but stomach acid. Gaia, he was hungry. He patted his pockets for the two small potatoes he had traded from Tifa. They were gone. He looked over at the woman who had spoken to him. In terror, he realized he didn't need to ask her where they were and why they were even there. He _knew_ why.

The rumors had been true.

"Everything will be alright," the woman said, patting him gently on the arm. "When we get there, we will be given food and water. They need workers, and they will want us to be strong and healthy. You'll see."

Cloud shook his head. "So we're the _lucky_ ones, are we?" he said in a disgusted way, as she nodded in response. "No. The lucky ones are already dead," he added.

"But you're wrong. We have a second chance. We can show them how well we work, and they will keep us alive, just watch," the woman said confidently. She gave him a short smile. "My name is Aerith, by the way. I lived with your friend Tifa. I saw you earlier last night when you came to trade." She touched her hole-riddled sweater and smiled. "This has kept me warm."

Cloud smiled, despite himself. "I'm Cloud. Tifa and I grew up together," he said. "I can't believe you haven't taken that sweater off yet. It's as hot as Ifrit's Hell in here."

"When we get off of the train, it will be cold again," Aerith said. Sweat dripped from her forehead and down her brow. She swiped it away and made a face.

"How long was I asleep for?" Cloud asked. He wished he could stretch, but too many people were cramped inside the car.

"Just a few hours. I heard the commotion outside when you were being beaten. The Shinra soldier knocked you out with a kick to the head. You were laying on the street bleeding when the order came through to liquidate our block of the slums. Tifa and I and the others were marched out at gunpoint to the railway, then herded into several cattle cars. They later threw you in here with us. I don't know where Tifa is," she sniffled.

"I'm sure she's on another car," Cloud replied, letting the details sink in.

"What was the beating for?" Aerith asked.

Cloud grimaced. "I'd rather not talk about it," he said, turning his head in shame.

"It's okay, Cloud. I can smell it on you."

Cloud groaned and closed his eyes, leaning against the boards of the cattle car. He drifted off to sleep, dreaming of days gone by.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

It seemed as if only mere hours had gone by when he awoke, but it had been almost a full day. Aerith sat huddled next to him, reeking of her own filth, the stench of piss between the two of them hitting his nostrils with a vengeance. He gagged and groaned, pulling the collar of his shirt over his mouth and nose.

"Gaia, Aerith. It smells like a cesspool in here," he moaned.

"I... I'm sorry. I couldn't make it to the bucket," she replied, looking down shamefully. "I don't want to go over there."

"Why not?" Cloud asked. She pointed. In the dim sunlight filtered in through the two small barbed wire-covered windows, he saw: three shit-covered corpses lay by the bucket intended for human waste. He shuddered and remained silent.

They didn't speak for some time after that, choosing to sit in silence and ponder their surroundings. He began to daydream about food. A crust of bread, a drop of water. Anything to squelch the hunger pains.

"Tell me, what else have you heard about the camps?" Cloud asked Aerith, trying to take his mind off of food. His stomach growled in pain as he awaited her reply.

She shrugged. "I heard there are special showers there. But it's only a rumor, Cloud. Don't think too hard on it," she answered, biting her lip and squeezing her eyes shut.

"A shower would be nice," Cloud said dreamily, believing that she meant the showers would be special in a good way. He sighed happily. "And a bit of potato dumpling soup with black bread. My mom made the best soup and bread on Gaia when she was alive."

"What happened to her?"

"Shinra's soldiers, like everything else. They came in one day to the block across our street where mom was visiting a family friend. They shot her down like a dog when she refused to raise her arm in the Shinra salute," Cloud explained. He raised his arm in a mock Shinra salute, his arm outstretched, hand straightened. "Hail Shinra," he said with an undertone of hate in his voice. He dropped his arm and looked at Aerith. "_Fuck_ Shinra."

Aerith nodded in agreement, and silence took over them once more.

Suddenly, the train came to a slow roll, and there was a commotion at the small window on the left. People were clamoring and pushing each other with what little strength they had left, eager to see where they were stopping. The sun had almost set, and the night was approaching fast. Through squinting eyes, one man got the first glimpse of their destination.

"Tell us, what do you see?" a man called out.

"It looks like a rail station. There's flowers planted all around the gate. It's a sight for sore eyes!" the man exclaimed, clapping his hands together once as if in a silent prayer. Everyone gasped and hugged each other.

_"See?"_ one woman hissed, _"I told you we would be safe!"_

_"Everyone, pinch your cheeks and look strong!"_

_"I cannot wait for a hot meal and a warm bed. I will gladly work for that."_

Music could be heard as the train got closer to the station. A glimpse outside the window would have shown a group of four men, starving and cold, playing instruments to lighten the mood of the new arrivals.

A glimpse past the mock station would reveal what really went on in the camp.

When the train came to a stop, shouts of "Out! Out! Hurry, you slum swine!" could be heard as the cattle car doors were thrown open. The shouting shook most of the occupants to their core, many of them realizing that there was something more beyond the brightly-colored flowers at the mock station.

"Out! Hurry!" a Shinra soldier shouted, pointing his rifle into the car. Cloud and Aerith grabbed one another for support as they helped each other off of the train, only to be ripped apart from each other.

"Men to the left! The elderly, women, and children to the right! Hurry!" another soldier ordered, snapping a leather whip at them. The whip caught Aerith on the side of her face, and she shrieked, falling to the ground. She cried and covered her head as blows rained down on her. After the soldier had had enough of whipping her, he yanked her up and shoved her to the right side. Bleeding and sniveling, she followed the line until it arrived in the main camp yard. Cloud was in the opposite line with the men, his arms wrapped around his chest.

At the end of the line, there was a table set up. Shinra soldiers patrolled the area, keeping a close eye on the new arrivals as they approached the table to have their information written in a ledger. They were to give their name, their age, and occupation if applicable. When Cloud's turn came, he stared down at his feet, as he had been taught by force to do when approaching a Shinra soldier.

"Name, age, occupation," the soldier said dryly, not bothering to look up.

"Cloud Strife, sir. I'm 21, and I used to own a tailor shop."

The Shinra soldier looked up then, and sneered. "A business owner, huh. Surprise, surprise," he scowled. He turned to the man standing behind him. "Doctor Hojo, this one's a tailor," he said. The doctor nodded and waved Cloud over.

"A tailor? I'm in need of a new tailor in this place. The old one, he… well…" Hojo laughed into a clenched fist. "He's no longer in service. Let's just leave it at that for now."

"Sir, I will gladly take the job," Cloud said through clenched teeth as the doctor laughed again.

"Of course you will. Or would you rather have a _shower_?"

"No sir. I will gladly start working immediately," Cloud responded quickly. "I am a hard worker. I won't let you down, sir."

Hojo laughed and pointed him over to a nearby building. "Go in there and do as they tell you. You can start work tomorrow, bright and early!" he said.

Cloud walked to the building and took a quick glance back at the lines. Aerith stood at the table now, crying and giving them her information. The soldier stood up and slapped her, then jerked his thumb in the direction of the barracks. Cloud turned around quickly as a soldier shouted at him from inside the building.

Would they ever meet again? He was doubtful.

"Get your ass over here!" a soldier shouted to him. "Strip down!"

Cloud undressed quickly and nervously; he'd never been nude in front of anyone before. The soldier leered at him. A shirt and a pair of pants were tossed at him, along with a pair of shoes. The shoes were mismatched, and one shoe was larger than the other. The shirt was piss-stained and holey, and it was too big for him. The pants were too tight.

He was herded with a group of fellow inmates to a hair-cutting area. Fellow prisoners stood at the ready, crude manual hair clippers in their hands. Cloud sat in a chair and wept silently as his hair was painfully clipped down to his scalp. The prisoner looked down at him, pain reflected in his eyes.

"Quiet now. They'll see your weakness. You must never show weakness in this place," the prisoner said. "I'm sorry I hurt you, but I must hurry in order to keep up with the crowd. I will get a beating if I don't."

"It's… fine," Cloud mumbled, his head down.

"The name's Vincent," the man said. "Promise me you'll keep your head up, no matter what." He stuck out his hand to Cloud and they shook on it.

"I'm Cloud Strife. I'll do what I can to keep that promise."

"You do that," Vincent said. He pointed toward the door. "You have to leave now, but maybe we will see each other later. Go through that door and you'll be in the main yard again. From there, form a line with the other new inmates. The soldier at the head of the line will give you your number, which you are to memorize. Then..." He raised his shirt sleeve, revealing a tattooed number on his forearm.

"It only hurts for a little while. Remember, you are just a numbered corpse here. You no longer have a name. Keep that in mind," Vincent said in a hushed tone.

Shaken, Cloud gave Vincent a quick nod and went to stand in line. It was completely dark outside now, and getting quite cold. Hours went by, and still they stood, shivering and pissing themselves. Many fell over from sheer exhaustion and hunger, and they never got back up. Many were shot where they fell.

_Is this all there is for the rest of my life? Fuck you, President Shinra._

According to President Shinra, the people of the slums were worthless. In his eyes, they stank, they were greedy, and overall they were the reason that Gaia was in such ruins. He wanted to rid Gaia of their type, leaving no one left but the people outside of the slums. He wielded such power of the people of Gaia that they would do anything he would tell them to do. Not only were many of the citizens cruel, but the Shinra special forces were even crueler, bowing to the President's every command and taking back Gaia with a force unimaginable.

One Shinra soldier, a mere guard who had not yet had the privilege of joining the elite ranks of the special forces, stood off to the side watching the new arrivals. With his rifle at his side, he leaned back against a wall and cocked his head, lazily dragging on a cigarette.

_The blond, third from last in the row._

They locked eyes.

Reno took a final drag from his hand-rolled cigarette, stomped it out with his boot, and walked away. He couldn't deal with this shit right now. He had a job to do.


	2. Asche zu Asche

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title "Ashes to Ashes", in German.
> 
> *Second chapter posted initially on FFnet, October 10, 2015.

Cloud shook with the realization of who the Shinra guard was. He remembered those ocean-colored eyes far too well.

_Reno._

He whispered the name to himself, lest others hear him. He shook his head. It had been five years since they had last spoken.

Reno had been born in the slums. He'd grown up with Cloud. When war had broken out, Reno had enlisted to be a part of President Shinra's elite soldiers, forging his birth records to hide the fact that he had been born a slum child.

Reno and Cloud had been the best of friends, and had even toyed with the idea of a relationship. As casual as it was - a kiss here and there; a lingering look - Cloud was still heartbroken when Reno left the slums.

His mind drifted back to when he was sixteen. Those long five years had crawled by without a word from Reno. He remembered the day that Reno grabbed his chance to escape a life of poverty in the slums.

"But Reno," Cloud had protested. "They'll know you're from the slums."

Reno shrugged him off. "I can get forged papers from the black market. This is my chance, Cloud. I'll make a name for myself. I'll see the world. I'll be out of this fucking hellhole," he said.

Reno had always been the talkative one, ready to jump up and go at a moment's notice. Cloud had been happy just to listen to the redhead talk, thrilled to be in his presence. This time was no different: Reno was going to do this whether Cloud liked it or not.

When official word came out that Midgar citizens would be punished if they were caught conversing or helping people from the slums, Cloud brought up the matter to Reno.

"We'll never be able to see each other again," Cloud said sadly.

"Aw, come on, Cloud. They'll never find out, as long as we're careful."

Reno had kissed Cloud on the forehead after pulling him close, quickly glancing around to make sure no one was watching them. For a man to have relations with another man was forbidden - and it would be ten times as worse if Reno became a soldier. A Shinra soldier who was having relations with another man, especially one from the slums? Unspeakable. Punishable by death. Cloud held onto Reno as tightly as he could.

He still remembered their last kiss, fleeting as it was; a hasty goodbye. Reno had disappeared after that, breaking his promise to keep in touch with Cloud. He understood, though. If Reno was caught, it would mean death for both of them.

As the years dragged on, Cloud's mind was preoccupied by thoughts of survival, keeping one step ahead of the firing line. Now, he was here, in the belly of hell itself.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reno lit another cigarette and blew the smoke into the cold night air, his boots crunching the half-frozen grass beneath him as he walked the long trail down to the shower building. He grimaced to himself. _Showers._ He shuddered. He could hear new arrivals gathered in a line outside of the building, rapidly talking amongst themselves. They were all nude, their clothes having been shed before their hair was razed off. Their hair would be used to stuff chair cushions, likely. These people did not have numbers because they would be of no use. Disposable.

To him, they were faceless as well. He had learned in the past five years not to look at their faces.

For five years, he had been swept from one camp to the next for guard duty. After enlisting, he had hoped to go straight to the front, to fight for the love of his country. He loved his country, regardless of its leader, and would gladly have died for the Fatherland. Still, this was a good learning experience on how to shut down your emotions before getting to the front line and witnessing so much death during battles.

There was already enough death here.

Sometimes the chimneys of the crematorium puffed out a steady snow of gray ashes all night and all day.

He recalled, as a new guard five years back, one particular transport that brought in a load of young children, all excited to see the ashen snow falling from the chimneys. Their eyes lit up as they shouted, "Snow! Snow!" and took turns trying to catch the ashes on their tongues. The memory made Reno's stomach turn.

When they, too, became snow just a few short hours later, he wept for the first time in his bunk that night. After that, he became better at controlling his emotions. Now, it was second nature for him to just do his job and keep his emotions in check, lest he cast suspicion on himself.

He had dreaded this day, when he would see new arrivals from his old street in the slums. He felt the old part of him reacting - the part of him that he had hidden and suppressed for five years in order to survive. He shifted his rifle on his shoulder and moved forward, dangling his cigarette from his mouth. He stopped and stared up at the night sky when he reached his destination. It would snow soon - _real_ snow. He could tell by how crisp the stars looked. Cloud had taught him that when they were still just kids in the slums.

The shower building and the crematorium were set back toward the rear of the camp grounds, far enough away and hidden by a tall fence in order to keep death's secrets inside. The ashes always fell on the inmates, nonetheless. Most of them had grown used to it and no longer even bothered to wipe them off. They had all grown used to the stench. Only the new arrivals blinked twice at the ashes and stench; that's how you could tell the new ones from the old ones.

"Reno? _Reno_, is that you?" a woman's voice called to him from the crowd gathered outside the shower building, waiting their turn. He froze, knowing that his ass was on the line if any of the other Shinra soldiers or guards heard someone calling his name. He should have been unrecognizable to these people: his forged papers stated that he had never even set foot in the slums. He dragged on his cigarette and nonchalantly glanced around, making sure none of the other soldiers had heard this woman calling his name. He inched forward slowly, his rifle pointed at the woman. Squinting, he choked back a gasp of surprise.

_"Tifa?"_

"_Reno_," Tifa hissed, quickly understanding the need for a hasty, quiet conversation in order to protect Reno. She had known Reno had left the slums prior, but Cloud had never told her that he joined Shinra's ranks. He probably had no idea; she could never tell when it came to Cloud and his secrets. "Reno, I can work. I can work, Reno! That Doctor Hojo fellow put me in this line because of my leg. You _know_ me, Reno," she said through clenched teeth. "I can work!"

Tifa had hurt her leg when she was a child, which caused her to walk with a limp. Besides the limp - and being hungry and cold - Tifa was in great shape. Reno agreed that she would make a good worker. Those decisions were not up to him, though. He had to do something, regardless.

"I'll try to hurry back," he whispered, quickly shuffling in his boots and tossing his cigarette to the side as he hurried to reach the General's office. He knocked once and entered. Closing the door behind him, he clacked his boot heels together and raised his arm in the Shinra salute.

"Hail Shinra," Reno said, waiting on a reply from the silver-haired man at his desk. Gods, he was always nervous coming in here, always afraid they would see through his lies.

General Sephiroth gave a short wave of his hand and motioned to one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Sit, sit. What brings you in here, Reno? Trouble at the showers?" Sephiroth asked, smirking. "I've told you what to do in a situation like that. Just point and shoot," he went on to say. He laughed, and Reno cringed inside as he sat down. He gave a hearty chuckle to the General to cover up his distaste.

"General, sir, there seems to be a mistake in the shower line. Hojo seems to have put a healthy woman with the unwanted. She looks like she's hungry, but she's built like a horse," Reno began, looking down at his feet and nervously twiddling his thumbs. He glanced up at the General, who stared at him with an icy glare. "Sir, I know it's not my place, but wouldn't our President want us to have all the able-bodied people we can get?"

"You're right," Sephiroth said abruptly. "It's _not_ your place. You're just a guard, cadet. You have no right to come in here and bother me with such things. Take your leave, Reno, and get your ass back to the line."

Reno nodded once and stood up. "Hail Shinra," he saluted again, and went back out into the cold night air. As he began the trek back down the trail to the shower house, he heard Sephiroth's voice call after him. He turned around and saw the General exiting his office and shrugging on his long, black trench coat.

"Wait just a moment," Sephiroth shouted, hurrying over to catch up with Reno. "Sometimes, Hojo does make mistakes, though not very often. The way I figure, I've got nothing else to do at the moment, so why not humor you?"

They walked the path together. "Our shipment surpassed 6,000 tonight, cadet. Looks like this will be an all-nighter," the General added.

"Yes, sir. Snow is coming soon, too," Reno replied.

Sephiroth laughed heartily. "Snow. Ashes. What's the difference?"

Reno gave Sephiroth another fake chuckle. He decided to keep his mouth shut for the rest of the way to the showers. Ahead, he could see Tifa looking their way frantically. He pointed her out to Sephiroth.

"She's the one?" Sephiroth asked curiously. He stopped in front of Tifa and looked her up and down. "What's wrong with you, slum rat?" he asked, spitting in her direction.

Tifa looked directly into his face, in a show of her fearlessness. "I have a leg injury from childhood, but I guarantee you that I can work," she said. She moved from the line and limped slowly without tripping, to show that she could walk fairly well. "Sir, I can work," she pleaded. She shifted down onto her knees in front of Sephiroth, maintaining eye contact with him. Tears ran down her dirty face as she clasped her hands together, begging for a second chance.

Reno stood to the side when he saw Sephiroth's jaw clench. He turned his head. He knew what was coming.

He couldn't watch this again, but it would keep happening as long as President Shinra was in charge.

"Cadet Reno," Sephiroth said, nudging him with a pistol that he had retrieved from his holster. "How about you do the honors?"

Reno had rehearsed inside his head for this moment in front of him now. Taught himself how to act cruel. _They're all nameless. Faceless. Remember that._

He nodded and took the gun from the General with a shaky hand. Edging forward slightly, he pointed the gun at Tifa's head. He tried his best to block out her face, her panicked screams. She was pissing herself now, shitting herself and screaming in abandonment, squatting on the ground. He swallowed back bile as he discreetly gagged and the sight and stench, both hands now gripping the pistol in an attempt to steady the other hand.

Nameless. Faceless.

As he began to gently squeeze the trigger, Sephiroth abruptly grabbed the pistol from him and aimed. The shot rang out and the people in the line cried out in shock. Guards and soldiers began aiming their guns at the people, ordering them to stay in line or they would be shot, too. Sephiroth smiled smugly at Reno and placed his pistol back in his holster.

"_That's_ how it's done," the General said, smirking. He walked off back up the trail to his office, not bothering to look back.

Reno stood in shock. He couldn't look down at Tifa. Didn't want to.

He ran to the side of the shower house and vomited.

The young woman's blood ran down his face and into his mouth.

She tasted like ashes.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Cloud shook himself out of his memories of Reno as the line moved forward. He had heard the faint screaming in the distance, heard the gunshot, but couldn't figure out which direction it was coming from. He was so used to the sounds of death from his old neighborhood that he barely flinched.

"Next!"

Cloud stood at attention in his ill-fitting clothes. He swallowed loudly, trying to calm himself from shaking so much. It didn't work.

"Name?"

"Cloud Strife."

"Not anymore. Number 111422. Arm out, you slum trash. Put it down on the fucking table and don't move, or I'll have you shot," the soldier ordered. Cloud watched as the man dipped the needle into a pot of ink and jabbed it repeatedly into Cloud's forearm. Cloud flinched and hissed through gritted teeth as the marks were permanently made in his flesh. The soldier said nothing else during the procedure, keeping a tight grip on the blond's arm.

"Done."

Cloud gripped his arm as the soldier shoved him away, trying to snuff out the burning sensation of the raw wound.

"Follow the line to the barracks over there, " the soldier ordered, jerking a thumb behind him. Cloud did as he was told, moving as quickly as he could in his odd wardrobe.

He joined the others, and they huddled together for warmth. Most of them were silent, but some exchanged information. The general concern of the group was just exactly how long they had left to live. Cloud listened to the chatter for only a short time, then tuned them out promptly as he felt himself spiraling down. He knew that he could not allow himself to be sad. It would destroy him. Reno taught him that when he abandoned him for Shinra's army five years ago.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reno finished cleaning himself off in the small barracks that he shared with one other cadet guard. His bunk partner was a man by the name of Rude.

Rude hailed from a small town on the outskirts of Midgar, and Reno had liked the quiet, pensive man from the moment they first met.

Rude sat watching Reno in a chair, his leg slung over his knee.

"What happened out there?" Rude asked, raising an eyebrow. Reno turned from the sink to face him and exited the bathroom.

"This slum broad," he began. "She tried to talk her way out of going into the showers. I tried to help because I figured there had been a mistake. She looked healthy. Sephiroth shot her."

"You tried to _help_? What were you _thinking_, Reno?" Rude hissed.

Reno shrugged and pulled out a chair from under the small table in their room. He sat and pulled out his metal cigarette case from his pocket. Lighting a cigarette, he exhaled the smoke and sighed. Rude came to the table to sit with him, grabbing two glass tumblers on his way. Filling the glasses with black market vodka, he pushed one across the table to the redhead.

"You and I have a lot more in common than you think," Rude began, slowly sipping on his drink. He fidgeted with his uniform, adjusting the Shinra logo armband and shaking his head.

"What?" Reno asked, downing his vodka in a single shot, reaching for the half-empty bottle and helping himself to more.

Rude set his glass down and sat up straight. "A very, very long time ago, my parents lived in the slums," he said in a hushed voice.

Was this a trick to get Reno to come out with his secret identity? It couldn't be. Rude knew the danger of lying within the Shinra army, even if it was to uncover someone else's business.

"Rude…" Reno began, but was cut off by a wave of the man's hand.

"Reno, listen. My father fought in the first war of Gaia. He gave his life for our Fatherland. Mother moved out of the slums when she was pregnant with me. I didn't find this out until I was about to join Shinra's army. Mother made me go underground for forged documents. She wanted me to follow my dreams of being an elite soldier. But this…" Rude swept his hand around him. "All of this is not what I signed up for, Reno. The murders, the beatings. I had to send my father's sister to the showers when I first arrived here…"

Reno poured a fourth glass of vodka. "No wonder you're so quiet," he said, and Rude nodded in agreement.

"Silence is the only way to survive. You keep quiet, you do what you're told, and you don't ask questions. One day, when this is all over, perhaps I'll find my voice again. For now, I'm the quiet one. You'd be wise to do the same," Rude told him.

"But she was an old friend," Reno hissed in a hushed tone. "I can't turn my back on a friend."

Rude grunted. He sighed heavily and shook his head. "We can't protect them in here. Especially us. A couple of slummers playing dress-up in Shinra's army trying to save our old friends? Ha! The General would get suspicious after so many times. To save any of those from our past lives is to put ourselves in danger. Don't be stupid, Reno."

Reno shifted in his chair and rotated the empty glass around and around on the table. He bit his lip.

"Rude, there's something more you need to know. Since we're laying everything out on the table, you need to know that when I left the slums five years ago, I left behind a lover," Reno said.

Rude raised an eyebrow. "Lover?"

"Okay, not really a lover. We never got that far. My lover's name was… his name…" Reno trailed off as he glanced up at Rude, who sat motionless. "…His name is Cloud."

"Why are you telling me this? So what if you like the company of men. None of my business," Rude said. "Just don't let anyone else find out you're a homosexual."

"I'm telling you this because Cloud is here. We saw each other. He was on this transport. Hojo apparently chose to save him, because he didn't go to the showers like the others," Reno told him. Rude sighed and gave him a long, stern look.

"Don't be stupid, Reno."

"I have to try to talk to him."

Rude slammed down his empty drinking glass and stood up. He placed his hands flat on the table and leaned into Reno's face, staring him evenly in the eyes.

_"Don't. Be. Stupid."_

Reno shied away from Rude's eyes and scoffed at him. "The General won't notice if extra food is missing. If I can get clearance to be in Cloud's barracks for guard duty, then…"

Rude stepped away from the table and turned his back.

"As your friend, I'm advising you to keep your distance. You can't do this. You have to keep up the spiel, because if you don't, you will get caught," Rude said in a low voice. "And you're _not_ going to drag me down with you."

"Don't worry about that," Reno said, lowering his eyes. "Say, Rude… How did you know about me?"

Rude turned around and smirked. "_They_ might be stupid, but one slummer always knows another slummer. I'm surprised you didn't call _me_ out."

"Guess I didn't pay attention," Reno replied.

"Well, if you're going to start saving souls in this place, you'd be wise to start paying attention," Rude said as he put his uniform hat back on. "I've got to make my rounds. Want to come with?"

"Fine." Reno poured himself another glass of vodka and downed it in two seconds flat. "I want to see if I can catch a glimpse of Cloud again."


End file.
